Posts Tagged ‘Fitness’

I came across some new footwear from Nike, the Nike Studio Wrap. See for yourself:

I know! Perfect for martial arts training, in the sometime less then dirt free Dojo Floor! Practical, has a cover you can wear on your way home.

I can do without the other accessories however they could be turned into non-obvious self-defense tools in a pinch… 😉 There is one really big problem…They are for Women Only! What was Nike thinking, why are they discriminating against Men who practice Karate (or Yoga)?! I’ve written Nike but I doubt I’ll get a response…

Like we needed a reason…A new study finally explains why Dark Chocolate is good for your Heath!! The study, released by Louisiana State University, tested cocoa powders in the digestive tract and found some microbes in the gut use the dark chocolate to improve heart health. “Good bacteria in the stomach feasts on the chocolate and then produce compounds that are anti-inflammatory cardiovascular tissues that absorb the compounds, improving your heart health.”

The study’s lead researcher, John Finley, elaborates, saying, “When these compounds are absorbed by the body, they lessen the inflammation of cardiovascular tissue, reducing the long-term risk of stroke.” (Via HealthDay)

So go ahead, reach for that extra piece of dark chocolate. But while you’re at it, add some fruit. “Scientists say combining dark chocolate with solid fruits like pomegranates and acai could provide even greater benefits.” Dark chocolate is also full of antioxidants and can help reduce blood pressure, ease depression and control blood sugar. Just make sure your dark chocolate is made up of 70 percent cocoa or more!

Mid-February I was scheduled to have surgery. A few days before the surgery, 3 days to be exact, I came down with a terrible head cold. Two days before surgery I was miserable, the doctor said we would probably have to reschedule if I wasn’t better and I saw no way that was going to happen. However I was very determined not to reschedule, I was stronger than any cold! FIrst thing I did was hit the cold with a strict regiment of Sudafed (the good kind), Robitussin and Tylenol, in addition I was drinking 3-4 16 oz glasses of fluid an hour, plus Airborne several times a day. Since my stomach was fine, I could eat so I consumed the hottest, spiciest food I could get. It was painful but amazingly helpful for the congestion!

Basically I created what I like to call a hostile work environment for whatever bug had taken up residence in my body. To my wonders, it worked. Less than a day and a half after I began my super cold regiment I had surgery with just a tinge of remaining congestion, which surgery seemed to clear up, probably from the oxygen and anaesthesia. From past experience I have no doubt that if I had not been so aggressive my surgery would have been rescheduled. Was it the regiment, a sort lived cold or just dumb luck? Guess I won’t know for sure until the next time I get a cold, though I am in no hurry to find out!

Here are some of the resources I found to help me come up with my cold remedy regiment:

Clear Nose Congestion

While Sudafed works it isn’t always practical, especially at night. Here’s an easier, quicker, and cheaper remedy to relieve sinus pressure: Alternate thrusting your tongue against the roof of your mouth, then pressing between your eyebrows with one finger. Basically you are massaging or rocking the vomer bone in your nasal passage back and forth which helps loosen and breaks up your congestion. It takes about 20 seconds for your congestion to start to drain and you to feel some relief.

Cure a Tickling Throat

A healthy remedy for that tickle in your throat that can cause you to cough and gag. There is a better way to scratch your throat itch other than a lozenges: Scratch your ear! That’s right scratching your ear creates a nerve reflex in your throat that can relieve the tickle causing muscle spasm.

As always, wash your hands, don’t touch your face, drink plenty, get plenty of sleep, exercise, eat healthy; basically live a healthy lifestyle, this is the best way to prevent a cold. But when the inevitable happens, hope these help you as much as they have helped me.

At least that is the claim, really not a claim as much as the basis for this post. Why is email healthier for you? The reason is simple, every time to lick a stamp you are consuming one-tenth of a calorie. Yes, one-tenth of a percent is what you are saving every time you send an email instead of a letter. I am afraid there is a great injustice being done to young Brides as they invite all their relatives to their wedding! TEN calories for every 100 people you invite!!

So, why am I writing this? It does seem a little ridiculous doesn’t it? It is. Obviously you will burn off that one-tenth of a calorie walking to the mailbox to send your letter, something that doesn’t happen with email. But the point really is how silly and obsessive we can be about calories and health. We can be so silly and obsessive that our common-sense goes out the window.

My point is; when we are sitting surfing the internet or writing an email, we are not active. When we are not active, we atrophy. Do yourself a favor, write a friend a letter, consume one-tenth of a calorie and then walk to the mailbox or post office and mail that letter! Your friend will probably be pleasantly surprised too! Walking to the mailbox can be the first step towards a more active and healthy life. Give it a try…

OK, I have a life and I am not an obsessed person, which means …I have a life! I do not live to eat nor do I live to be in perfect shape. Pathetic some may say but they probably don’t have a life. Or they are independently wealthy! Yes we all attend Karate class at least once or twice a week but that isn’t enough.

Balancing job, family, chores, and the a sundry other tasks and commitments in your life and there is precious little time left for sleep let alone a 10 mile run (ok 5 mile run)! But that doesn’t mean we can’t stay in shape we just have to make it part of your day where you can spare a few minutes here and there. Here is what I do through out the day to help stay in shape.

On days when I haven’t had any time I do these all before bed as it helps me sleep (I know that doesn’t apply to everyone). I also find doing these before bed seems to help me burn calories when I sleep or at least the scale seems to reflect that in the morning.

Obviously this should not be all the exercise you get but it is a good start to staying/getting toned. If you have access to stairs I like to do 10-15 flights for a quick cardio workout.

Start with this, add in as much of your Karate workout as room/time allows for and you will find that you look forward to your little exercise breaks more with eash day. If you commit to doing this 6 days a week for 3 months it will become part of your daily routine for ever…!

I have been watching what I eat for the past 3-4 months. Over that time I have lost a few and gained a few pounds. Overall my weight is down about 5 pounds. Honestly I am only have about ten pounds of fat to loose, some of that weight needs to be converted. I know this has some people rolling their eyes in disgust. The truth is I could just as easily tell you I was 100 pounds over weight and that I had lost 90 pounds, it doesn’t really matter. The fact is losing weight is difficult no matter what your start weight. The only way to lose weight is the hard way. Yes we all know that 20 year old that can shed 20 pounds in a week, that isn’t normal and they will pay for it when they are 40!

I need to say that again. The only way to lose weight is the hard way. You see it is simple math, (there go those eye rolls again!), our bodies are pretty simple machines when you ignore all the complexity. Our metabolism burns so many calories everyday regardless of our activity, if we are not doing much that is all we need to take in to “maintain” our weight. If you want to lose weight, then you need to either take in less or burn off more. You now know the secret of ALL weight loss programs, minus the expensive meals, books, DVD’s, rich spokes people who have personal Chef’s and trainers, just the facts. Now if you want to pay me money for this, if that will help motivate you then by all means, show me the money! You can send it to me through the Donation Button at the top of the Right menu column.

So don’t be fooled into screwing up your metabolism with a cabbage diet or all steak, miracle pills, or well you get the idea. It’s time to quit fooling yourself into thinking there is an easier way, do the work, control your inclination to put food in your mouth and suck it up!

Your current height, weight, and age doesn’t matter, so keep it simple. One secret, if you are hungry, drink water, our bodies can’t discern between hunger and thirst, that might help. Stick to the following schedule and you WILL lose weight.

Men

Eat 1800 Calories a Day

Example Schedule:

Breakfast:
Eat 500 calories
(When you wake up)

Lunch:
Eat 600 calories
(During your lunch break)

Dinner:
Eat 700 calories
(At least 3 hours before bedtime)

Women

Eat 1500 Calories a Day

Example Schedule:

Breakfast:
Eat 400 calories
(When you wake up)

Lunch:
Eat 500 calories
(During your lunch break)

Dinner:
Eat 600 calories
(At least 3 hours before bedtime)

Results:
Will vary but you should lose about 1 lb per week…or about 52 lbs per year!!

What do you do if you eat more than this each day? You guessed it…Exercise. Get on the bike or treadmill but remember working off the extra calories is hard work!

For example: Running for 30 minutes at 5 MPH will only burn off around 380 calories, sounds good until you try to run at 5 mph for 30 minutes!! Don’t believe me, calculate it for yourself.

Remember…if this were easy, everyone would be skinny. And if you think this was helpful or if you feel it will help you stick to the program, donate!!

Don’t take the title wrong, I am not making light of hard work. I have engaged in hard work most of my life, real hard work. I’ve work construction pouring concrete for 10+ hours a day, raising houses, roofing in the middle of summer and digging ditches. Real hard work not the kind you hear about at the water cooler! Hard manual work can be physically exhausting. Hard work can make your body stronger. Hard work can be very rewarding.

But… Hard Work is not Exercise.

As someone who has done hard physical labour for most of my life, this was a hard pill to swallow. The more I meditated on this thought the more I realised the truth of it. Hard work can make you strong. Hard work can give you endurance. But still, hard work is not exercise because it isn’t usually beneficial to your whole body. Not saying I want to arm-wrestle with a steel worker! But even the steel workers (I had one for a student) need exercise. Exercise is about more than strength of a specific muscle group, it is about fitness. The downside of hard work is it often leaves you to exhausted to exercise. Any good exercise program will help you accomplish 3 main things, elevate your heart rate (aerobic), work your muscles (strengthen) and most importantly and often forgotten improve your agility (flexibility). No hard work is going to do all three of these. Add a balanced diet of appropriate portion sizes and you have yourself a recipe for good health and happy thoughts. Make your exercise a part of your daily life by spreading throughout your day and night, it makes it harder to skip and will improve your mood and day.

People think exercising is hard work, if they do tell them they are doing it wrong, because Hard Work isn’t exercise!

The funny thing about exercise, is most people view it as a chore, but no matter who you are, you always feel better afterwards…

I’ve been asked this question many times. Invariably I respond with, No. But does it? On some level, of course it does, but what does that mean?

Interestingly I started to write this post back in November of 2007, a little over 4 years ago! Guess I needed some time (and age) to gain the right perspective! So what do I think, 4 years later? I still stand by my above statement, No. But I will add, your age doesn’t matter if you are willing to put in the work. We all age differently, some of this is genetic, however some of this depends on the lifestyle we choose to live. Do we eat regular healthy meals, get proper rest, exercise regularly and manage our stress correctly? Those are your lifestyle choices. Now I am a realist and not all of us have a choice about all the items in that list. Often our jobs don’t allow us to eat healthy meals or get enough rest and too often the rocket our stress levels to unhealthy heights! After all we live in the real world. If you are living in a McMansion with two Mercedes in the driveway then these factors are your chosen lifestyle. If you are supporting a family and getting by these factors are called life. That doesn’t mean we can’t do things differently to reduce the negative affects these factors can have on our life and our training. It does however take a choice and the will to act on that choice.

Age doesn’t matter if you are willing to put in the work. This is true for a student of any age, however, as we age more work is typically necessary! Yes, there always is a catch. As we age we lose two things, strength and flexibility. Everyone focuses on strength OR flexibility but few focus on both. Flexibility is actually the more important of the two since many stretching exercises will also increase your strength. IN this type of article it is nearly impossible for me to tailor the proper regiment since (especially as we age) everyone’s needs are different. By that I mean there are many factors to consider, like your body type, what your bodies strengths and weaknesses are (they may not be what you think), and what your current lifestyle is like. If you can’t make a program fit into your lifestyle then you might as well not even try because you are setting yourself up for failure. Harsh, blunt, yes, but true.

If you haven’t workout in a long time here is what I suggest. If you have been “in shape” (not obese) most of your life AND you have never been in or had any traumatic injury then I can pretty safely bet you could use most well rounded fitness programs with great success. If you don’t fall into that category and you are over 30-35 years of age I strongly suggest you go to your nearest Physical Therapy clinic and ask for a free assessment. Most PT clinics will give a free assessment which will give you some guidance on your bodies strengths and weaknesses. If you are willing to pay for one or two visits most Physical Therapists will give you customized exercises to get your body “stable” thus reducing your chances of injury.

Notice above I did not say get yourself to the nearest Dojo or Yoga studio! If you already attend, great but if you are serious about being the best martial artist you can be, then you need to start with a strong foundation. I do not offer this advice lightly, I am speaking from experience. I have had several significant traumas to my body, however I have always been “in shape” and very active (aside from trauma recovery times). Even though I consider myself a competent trainer and martial artist I believe in always seeking help where needed. I spent one and a half years in physical therapy and it was worth the time and effort. Alone I now know that I would have continued to damage my weak points and strengthen my strong points, which in an exaggerated sense leads to a Quasimodo state of fitness; strong, functional yet not well rounded and balanced!

To wrap this up, if you are willing to put in the work make sure it is the right work. If going to a PT isn’t an option test your own range of motion and reflexes. No one is usually aware of their blind spots and that includes physical blind spots because we learn to compensate for them. If you are going to go it alone just make sure you get an diverse mixture of flexibility and strength training, heavy on the flexibility training.

All this is worthless if you aren’t taking in a diet of healthy food and appropriate portions.

At some point in our lives we all have to watch our weight. I was blessed with a great metabolism and could literally eat anything for most of my life. Time, work and life have slowly changed that and in doing so changed how I view food. For some people this is a struggle they have for most of their life. It is also a problem that women struggle with more than men due to the way our bodies differ. Regardless of when or how you begin to “watch your weight” or what your motivation is, the struggle is the same for all of us.

I for one do not diet. Mostly I do not think it is necessary unless there are underlying medical conditions like diabetes. By diet, I mean eating special foods or eliminating certain foods (aside from junk food). I do believe in portion control, something most of us know nothing about. We eat like Lions, meaning we gorge ourselves until we can not eat any more, for guys this is often a rite of passage. Women do this too, the proof (sorry ladies) is easiest seen in pregnant women who love to tell everyone they are eating for two, even though the second person is the size of a quarter…

Often we eat when we are thirsty because we cannot tell the difference between thirst and hunger. A good tip is to have a glass of water the next time you are hunger and then wait a little bit, you might just forget you are hungry! So those are my big tips, drink water and eat smaller portions.

Since I have never had a weight problem and do not consider myself an expert I thought it a good idea to include a different perspective. Enter, Marina Kamen. I have never met Marina, though I have exchanged a few emails with her manager and found her video interview a refreshing perspective. Marina is a normal person. What I mean by that is she isn’t so rich that she has people cook for her, take care of her kids, clean her house, etc. She is normal, like us. She has also overcome a weight problem and stayed in incredible shape. But don’t take my word for it listen her, here, this is one of three segments but it says a lot I think everyone can relate to.

[tube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dt3C1IPcTg[/tube]

Refreshing, no? This is why I do not diet, plus life is to short to feel guilty all the time! It boils down to the basics: Eat less, burn more. Eat to live, instead of living to eat. Weight control is just basic math, addition (eating) and subtraction (exercise). SO don’t only practice your Martial Arts at the Dojo, practice at home too! Those are my thoughts for now, hope you found something useful! Let me know if you did.